How do you pronounce peat?

The recorded pronunciation is /piːt/.

Where does peat come from?

It is traced to Middle English.

peat

/piːt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.30 in modern English

Syllables: peat
IPA: /piːt/

Scrabble Score

Letters

Syllables

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Soil formed of dead but not fully decayed plants found in bog areas, often burned as fuel.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A pet, a darling; a woman.

Obsolete

name

A surname transferred from the given name.

Example Sentences

"On the return journey the engine ran short of coal, and came to a stand near Penygroes through shortage of steam. Fortunately, there was some peat in a nearby field, which the enginemen dug and the directors helped to carry to the engine. Steam was soon raised and the story had a happy ending!"
"And let it not displease thee, good Bianca, / For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl. / A pretty peat!"

Etymology

Inherited from Northern Middle English pete (recorded in Latin text as peta), of uncertain origin; perhaps from a Celtic language such as an unattested Pictish or Brythonic source, in turn possibly from Proto-Brythonic *peθ (“portion, segment, piece”); if so, it would be a doublet of piece.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: pete, -, *peθ

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /piːt/
British English: /piːt/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Geology.

Inflected Forms

peats (plural)

Derived Forms

cocopeat peated peatery peating peatland peatless peatlike peatman peatstack peatswamp peaty

Phrases

milled peat peat bog peat moss peat pot peat-reek peat-smoke peat spade Peats Ridge

Frequently Paired Words

four-peat three-peat

Homonyms

Pete peet

Rhymes With

street meet st eat complete beat feet sweet heat seat treat meat